A sole proprietorship is defined as a business owned and operated by one person. As per the New York Workers’ Compensation Board, the following points apply to people who are sole proprietors of a business:

If a sole proprietor doesn’t have employees, they can apply for workers’ compensation coverage but are not legally required to have it.

If they do have employees, they are initially excluded from this coverage. However, they can have themselves “elected” to be covered. In order for this to happen, the sole proprietor would have to file a C-105.32 with the insurance carrier.

A sole proprietor would be considered an employer. If they choose to hire individuals to work for their business, need to have themselves elected out of the coverage they are currently under (if they are insured). This is different than a person hiring an independent contractor for a service. The individual seeking the service is not considered to be the employer of the person providing the service.

Etsy, an online marketplace, allows individuals to buy and sell various handmade and vintage goods. It started 12 years ago and had a reported 10-1 ratio of buyers to sellers at the end of 2014. This service is massively popular and is a great way for an individual to start their own business. Since sellers on the website are not “employed” by Etsy, who should they turn to if they get hurt while creating goods for their shop? This is a rather important topic if one considers the massive uprising of entrepreneurial businesses in general, not just online marketplaces. If someone has such success with their sole proprietorship or entrepreneurship that it becomes their main source of income, they should absolutely apply for workers’ compensation insurance. Mainly due to the fact that personal health insurance is not obligated to cover accidents that happen as a result of work, or in a workplace. Hospitals also typically ask how the injury happened. If a carpenter who owns their own business is building something for a paying customer and sustains a nasty injury, they wouldn’t need to pay out of pocket for their medical care. They would also get compensated for time lost from working on the goods they build or services they provide. If a persons’ entrepreneurial venture stands for the lion’s share of their income, this would be particularly important. According to an article on the Forbes website, linked below, the number of single-person businesses jumped nearly 4% between 2013 and 2014.

The standards for sole proprietorship and workers’ compensation are determined at the state level, so this could differ from one state to another. If you are a sole proprietor and are seeking workers’ compensation, make sure to check with your state’s workers’ compensation system!

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